Thoughts (and occasionally fuming) about the state of science, fiction, and science fiction.

by author and technologistEdward M. Lerner

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Deconstruction

I spent the weekend before last (i.e., August 5-8) in Raleigh, NC at ReConStruction / NASFiC (aka the Tenth Occasional North American Science Fiction Convention). NASFiCs are held in the years, like this year, that Worldcon is outside North America.

The con had a lot to offer, and I thank the organizers for their hard work and for including me in the program. I took part in four panels, did an autograph session (and thanks to all of you who came), and held a kaffee klatch. I synched up with friends usually scattered around the country, especially from among the MAFIA. (Acronym.com does not yet know it, but that's writers Making Appearances Frequently In Analog.) I saw a bit of downtown Raleigh, which seems quite nice. All good fun.

And yet ...

I began this blog almost exactly two years ago, upon returning from Denvention 3 / Worldcon 2008. I lamented in that inaugural post that every Worldcon seemed smaller than the last. Last year I was unable to attend Worldcon (in Montreal), and so was not in a position to comment whether the trend had continued. Nor will I be going to Worldcon this year -- it's in too far off (for me) Melbourne, Australia.

I can compare the recent NASFiC with the immediately preceding version -- in 2007, outside St. Louis. And intending no criticism to the friendly and tireless volunteers who organized and ran ReConStruction, I'm sad to say that attendance was way down from the last NASFiC. And the graying of fandom continues unabated.

5 comments:

Robert
said...

I have stopped going to most kinds of cons. In the past cons that I have gone to have either been too crazy, with no time to actually look at anything just running by booths to get to a panel or signing, or over commercialized; I understand that businesses need to advertise and believe that they should, however when I get to a booth that is just someone handing out cards for their $2500 software suite, I look around and wonder who they think their target demographic is.

The best convention that I have been to was an invitation only event, spaced over the course of one week. The vendors were relaxed and waited for you to show interest, and the panels and classes were spaced so that there was enough time to wander the convention center before the next event you wanted to attend.

I lamented in that inaugural post that every Worldcon seemed smaller than the last. Last year I was unable to attend Worldcon (in Montreal), and so was not in a position to comment whether the trend had continued.

Have another list!

http://www.smofinfo.com/LL/TheLongList.html

Montreal got about 3,9121 people. I'm surprised it wasn't lower: not only was it outside the US (deterring US fans without passports), and not only are Canadians notoriously stingy but Quebec has the whole language issue, which generally isn't presented sympathetically abroad.

On the other hand, there's a significant spike in strikingly attractive Canadians in Montreal. I felt like an orc visiting Loth Lorien the whole time I was there.

Denver aside as a special case, attendance within the US looks fairly stable.

Thanks for the comments and links. I prefer the attendance numbers in your references and hope they're correct. Still, as the SFWA article points out, there are subjective judgments implicit in the totals.

Even stable turnout amid a growing population is worrisome. See US population growth here:

InterstellarNet: Origins (I-Net #1)

"One of the most original, believable, thoroughly thought-out, and utterly fascinating visions ever of what interstellar contact might really be like."— Stanley Schmidt, editor of Analog

Fate of Worlds (FOW #5)

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Juggler of Worlds (FoW #2)

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Fleet of Worlds (FoW #1)

" ... Needs recommending within the science fiction community about as much as a new Harry Potter novel does – well, anywhere." —Locus

A Time Foreclosed

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Fools' Experiments

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Small Miracles

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Probe

Energized

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Moonstruck

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Frontiers of Space, Time, and Thought

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ARMAGEDDON / PARADISE -- two books in one

"A romp through time and history ... an intriguing selection." — Bookloons

Creative Destruction

"For its compelling vision of what could be, you will want take more than a glimpse of Creative Destruction.” — Fast Forward: Contemporary Science Fiction

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About Me

I'm a physicist and computer scientist (and an MBA, of less relevance to most of these posts). After thirty years in industry, as everything from individual technical contributor to senior vice president, I now write full-time. Mostly I write science fiction and techno-thrillers, now and again throwing in a straight science or technology article.